


You Become Responsible, Forever, For What You Have Tamed

by CoolerHope



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, Gen, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Torture, Medical Experimentation, Oops! made Ardyn's backstory worse, Oops! made Prompto's backstory worse, Sensory Deprivation, This is just going to be a reverse road trip with Ardyn and Prompto, Tweaked canon a bit, self care is buying hats and trying to find your brothers tomb so you can vandalize it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-10-31 19:07:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17855342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoolerHope/pseuds/CoolerHope
Summary: "Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world . . ."A 10 year old runaway MT adopts a severely depressed immortal man. What happens next will warm your heart. Or, humanity working together to bring forth a kinder fate.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ardyn has a lot to think about in the Angelgard, until he doesn't.

They put him in the Angelgard. As if he has done something so terrible, so devious, that the gods must be his jailers. As if all of this was his fault.  As if **_he_** was the one who killed ~~_AeraHisBelovedHisWife_~~ the oracle. As if he was the one who betrayed his family.

Ardyn felt anger, burning fury for everything. For Somnus, for all those who stood and watched as his brother murdered ~~_his love_~~ the oracle. For the unforgiving gods who did nothing as he killed her. For that damned crystal that ruined everything.

~~_I am unworthy_ _._ ~~

He will never forgive them. All of them. He will make everyone pay, he will make **Somnus** pay. If he wants to play king, that’s fine. Ardyn will show him the same mercy he had shown to all those afflicted with the Starscourge. He will raze his kingdom to the ground. He flexed his muscles, the chains embedded in his flesh stopping almost all of his movements. But first, he needs to find a way out of this damned cage.

 

* * *

 

His first few months in this prison had somehow been the worst. Even though his world is now nothing but a blur of intense pain and darkness, it was not as bad as the beginning had been; in the beginning, he still had hope.

He'd thought that maybe he could die, maybe he could join her in the afterlife, but those thoughts proved futile when all his attempts were rejected. Or he thought, maybe, just maybe, someone would come and let him out. He had saved many people throughout his travels, maybe someone will realize the injustice of what had happened and free him from this dark prison. It was a very small chance, but he clung on to that small hope.

As more time went by, filled with nothing but black and agony and silence and **black** , he was forced to face the truth: no one was going to be coming for him. His own thoughts tore into him, fueled by the **black, black, black** surrounding him ( _devouring him)_ , but there was no reprieve from them; he cannot escape this place, not without help ( _No one was coming_ ). He could not even die.

_Why can’t he die?_

_Why was he here?_

_What did he do to make Somnus hate him so?_

**_What does he have to do to make this stop?_ **

 

* * *

 

Ardyn knew what this place was doing to him, what the consuming darkness was accomplishing. He tries so hard to prevent it. He was stubborn, using everything that he had learned in his 30 or so years of life to keep his mind together, but it still tore at his sanity. At first, he recited poetry and ~~**_Aera’s_**~~ his favourite stories, trying his best to fill in the silence.

Then, when he started stuttering over the lines, he switched to thinking about anything he could do to keep the silence and the ~~**_blackblackblack_**~~ at bay. However, his efforts were fruitless; even his running commentaries eventually faded off without warning, and he wouldn't realize it until the silence almost consumed him.

Centuries goes by and he begins to lose touch with reality. For what was reality when he was surrounded by nothing? No light, no sound, no wind ( _Is there even any air in here?_ ). Robbed of all senses, no longer feeling the chains pulled taut to his flesh, hanging him in the air. Here, there was no such thing as reality, just an endless dark void.

As time trickled by, it took with it his mind, his memories, **her** ( _please not her. anything but her. he can’t lose her again_ ). He felt himself slipping, drowning, falling deeper and deeper into the embodiment of his confinement.

 

* * *

 

Ironically, the first thing to fade was Ardyn's anger. Not completely absent, not by a long shot. There are times when his fury overcame him so abruptly and utterly that he’d spend days ~~ _monthsyears_ ~~ screaming and shouting and thrashing, tearing his throat and voice into pieces, losing his only defense against the silence.

But between these violent fits, he could no longer fuel his want for revenge. There was no energy, no drive, nothing left. Attempting to hold on to his hatred served no purpose except to allow the darkness and insanity to tear at him that much harder; his hate slipped between the gaps and into the darkness. As did his memory and everything else.

Not that it really mattered when everything else was consumed _(destroyed)_ . His sorrow, his joy, his pride; Ardyn knew he had become nothing more than a mass of continual agony and blankness. When moments such as these struck him, when his mind was his to use once more, he felt numb to what has become of him. Detached, to how he had forgotten the colour of **her** eyes, forgetting his mother's name and his brother's face.  

All of it was gone, fading into the **black**. He still tried to fight it, to preserve what little he had left of himself; Ardyn had always been determined and unflinching in his ambitions, and while he had been robbed of many things, no one could rob him of who he was.

“I am Ardyn Lucis Caelum: eldest of the House Caelum, healer of Lucis. Chosen King-”

_“The gods have spoken, I, Somnus Lucis Caelum, am king”_

Try again. Don’t forget.

“I am Ardyn-”

_“He’s a monster!”_

He doesn’t want to forget. He can’t forget.

“I am...”

_“Even if others forget your name, I will always remember.”_

But she isn’t here anymore.

She left him behind.

He has nothing left.

“I’m sorry, Aera.”, he whispered, allowing the darkness to devour his words and everything with it.

 

* * *

 After 2000 years in the Angelgard, Ardyn wasn’t much of anything.

And when his world of darkness and silence was shattered into a cacophony of light and sound, he did not notice. His eyes remained staring into nothing, glassy and unseeing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special shout out to thesaurus.com for suggesting blankety-blank as a good substitution for damned.


	2. Experimental Subject: Adagium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ardyn is a patient and petty man.

Light.

 

_“...Adagium...”._

 

Pain.

 

_“Too...gone...”._

 

Sound.

 

There.

 

He tries to focus on the sound, he clings to it and tries to steady himself in this new world that surrounds him. He struggles to understand what is happening, but his muddled mind could not apprehend the words being said on a deeper level. Emotions he has not felt in a long, _long_ time comes bubbling up from the dark, fueling his disorientated state even more. A bright light flashes into his eyes and it takes far too long for his brain to remember how to close his eyes.

 

_“Rehabilitation will take too long. It’d be easier to just experiment with the body”._

 

The agonizing feeling of touch on his chest, gone before his brain could process the fact that someone had _touched_ him.

 

_“Prepare him for transport ”_

 

Still reeling from the touch, he did not notice the chains coming undone, letting him fall to the floor ( _Or maybe he had gotten so use to the pain, he could no longer feel it_ ). The tortuous feeling of touch returns as hands drag him out of the Angelgard; his mind is conflicted, unsure to give in to the contact or to reject it.

As his eyes adjust to the glaring light of the sun ( _the sun. It has been so long since he’d seen it._ ), and all Ardyn could see was an endless blue surrounding him. All he knew was darkness for centuries, so to be dragged into something completely foreign to him was overwhelming. The unfamiliarity of the blue sent fear and anxiety shooting through him, made him struggle against the hold on his arms. It was too much.

 

_itwastoomuchtoomuch-_

 

Then, someone was screaming, a familiar noise that echoed through the uncaring waves and cliffs of the island. New hands joined the others on trying to hold him down. The feeling of something cold pressed against the side of his temple and the last thing he heard was the crack of thunder.

 

Then

 

Blissfully nothing.

 

* * *

 

Pain, death, and sterile white walls has become his new life for the next 30 years. Ardyn didn’t know which was worse: the soul crushing darkness of the Angelgard or the terrible decor of the place he was being held in. White on white was just asking for severe headaches and insanity.

But the worst thing about this place was not the horrid white room with the pungent chemical smell. Nor was it the constant deaths, dissections, bloodletting, and experiments. No, the worst thing about this abhorrent place was the rat of a man who was in charge of it.

Imperial Researcher Minister, Verstael Besithia is an arrogant, power hungry, and detestable man. A man who would willingly sacrifice others for “ _the greater cause_ ” while watching from afar doing nothing of any use. The kind of man he loathes so much ( _reminds him of a certain someone_ ). His only hope is that Verstael lives long enough for Ardyn to kill him. Somnus may be long dead but he can use a substitute.

He had once entertained the idea of trying to manipulate the man, to tempt him with ancient secrets and power. However, he quickly smothered the thought. Ardyn didn’t have enough leverage against the scientist to be certain he could manipulate him (If Somnus had taught him anything, it was to always make sure to have the upper hand). That and he refuses to make life easier for someone he dislikes. So, he pretends to be an empty shell until the opportunity presents itself to escape this damned place.

Throughout his wait, Ardyn learns two new things about himself: One, that he can control and feel daemons, and two, he can somehow control time. Both of these newfound powers seem to go along with the sick twisted joke that is his life, as they were absolutely worthless on helping him get out of this situation.

Daemons were mindless creatures of destruction and could not break into the facility without getting themselves killed. Later on in his stay, he could feel other creatures in this place, mindless like the daemons but more empty, as if they were living corpses, alive but dead. He heard about them, one of Verstael’s other _projects_ . Ardyn couldn’t control them so he paid them no mind.

And believe it or not, controlling time does not help you when you are completely restrained and locked in a steel fortified room. If Ardyn hadn’t already been familiar with the unfairness of the world he would have gone mad _(Well_ , _madder_ ). It was absolutely aggravating to have this much power and not being able to do anything with it.

Yet, Ardyn was still mystified to how he acquired these powers. He can assume that being able to feel and control daemons came from absorbing the Starscourge into himself, but he cannot fathom how he came to possess control over time. He certainly didn’t have it before, or else that fight in the throne room would have gone very differently.

So, that must mean it’s a part of his immortality predicament. Maybe a side-effect of being imprisoned in the Angelgard for 2000 years? He’ll have to look into it once he leaves. With nothing to do except ignore what is happening to his body, Ardyn waits.

 

His waiting pays off when one day he feels it. He feels something new in this facility connect with him. Not a daemon nor one of those empty things, but a person. Verstael has finally given him something he could use.

Suppressing a smile, Ardyn mentally reaches out to them through the bond and after calming them down and gaining a bit of their trust, he gets a name.

Unit A05953234 may be a simple throwaway soldier, but Ardyn will take what he can get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may notice that I slightly changed Prompto's unit number. That's because I've slightly changed Prompto's backstory (I made it worse). So, here's a small hint: The A stands for Alpha. (as in greek alphabet not the other thing)


	3. Unit: A05953234

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wonderful life of Unit: A05953234

Unit A05953234 was made from Verstael Besithia’s DNA (with some special altercations). It was designed to be the most strongest, quickest, and most lethal weapon for the Empire. 

At a young age, the unit had an aptitude for pain tolerance, an immense stamina, and had an abnormal healing factor. It could easily take a trained adult in hand to hand combat and was a prodigy with firearms. Yet, even though it tries so hard, gets up after every battle simulation gone too far, Verstael Besithia always found the unit to be lacking.

After too many disappointing trials, the research minister finally decides to terminate the project. Not wanting to waste resources, Besithia decides to put it in a stasis tank until he can find a better use for it.

That day comes when Besithia produces the idea of the Magitek Infantry. By fusing Adagium’s blood with machinery and some organic parts, the empire could create a powerful army that could outnumber and overpower any nation. They could finally accomplish what their ancestors could not, and fulfil their destiny without sacrificing a single man.

At first, Besithia wanted to use his own DNA for the clones but quickly changes his mind when he remembers that he has a perfect specimen he could clone from.

At long last, that total loss of a project could finally have some use.

 

* * *

 

A05953234 comes to consciousness freezing cold, naked, and coughing up liquid. The world around him is is a blur of looming shadows and glaring lights. When he looks up, he finds that he is surrounded by tall, imposing figures.

The room he is in is exactly how he remembered it: cold metal walls and floors, intense LED lights, and the sharp smell of different chemicals blending together. The room is filled with the bassy hummings of the mass of tanks scattered throughout the room, some of which are still in use. A05953234 rips his gaze to the floor, no longer interested on looking any further. His attention changes again when a terribly familiar voice begins to speak.

 

“Make sure it’s fully functional before we begin with the trials. I want no more failures.” the voice said; as indifferent and cold as A05953234 remembers it. “This is not a project that can fail”

 

At the last words, the man’s gaze turns to the unit shivering on the floor.

A05953234 tries to suppress a shudder, either from the chilled temperature of the room or from the cold stare. He doesn’t like the testing, it hurts and makes him feel sick. However, he would rather go through many trials than to go back to the confined space of the tank. All he remembers from his time in the tank is the claustrophobia and the feeling of drowning.

Yes, he would do _anything_ if it meant not going back in there.

So, the unit allows the hands to drag him out of the room and he mentally braces himself for another round of _testing_.

 

* * *

 

He finds out later that he was put in stasis for at least 14 months. A05953234 doesn’t know how he feels about that. He doesn’t feel any different. He was still young (one of them said around 12 years old), he still had all of his freckles and blue eyes, and while his hair had grown longer, nothing else had changed. Even his daily routine had barely changed. They still put him through testing and simulations.

Although, it seems that they are more interested on taking from him instead of giving him stuff. A05953234 was fine with that, so many of the things they gave him made him feel sickly and gross.

When they put him back in training, A05953234 does his best to prove how good he is, how useful, so that he doesn’t disappoint them. So that they won’t put him back in the tank.

Only after they all found him to be fully functional did his routine change. He no longer spends the majority of his time being poked and prodded at, and instead of doing a battle simulation, he was going to fight someone instead. _Another test_ , they said.

They take him to a different area, but similar to where he did the battle simulations.. A large room with a high ceiling and cold concrete floors. There were observation windows around the room where the people sat and looked as he fought, as they _test him_.

 

The one who brought him here turns to him and says “You are to keep fighting until we tell you to stop. Furthermore, you are not allowed to lose. Are we clear.”

 

A05953234 nods in affirmative.

They turn and joins the others in the window. Finally, A05953234 looks across the room to see his opponent and is shocked when bright blue eyes meet dead blue ones.

It was a male unit, his size with a freckled face and blond hair. It was him (No, not him. A05953234 was A05953234. This must be someone else.) But, the resemblance is uncanny. It made him feel uncomfortable fighting the other. He tries to look more closely at them, and wonders if they have the same scars or if they have anything else in common but was interrupted when the intercom crackled.

 

“Beginning first phase of testing with MT Beta Unit”

 

A pause.

 

“You may start”

 

A05953234 forces all of his uneasiness aside and charges at his opponent.

 

* * *

 

The more he fought each unit, the more monstrous the next would be. What started out as beings who just looked like him, got more twisted as time went on. Blue eyes were now red, their skin was now a mix and match of machinery and a strange black substance, and they no longer bled red.

What was even worse was that it was getting harder and harder to win every match. They ordered him to not lose, therefore he can’t lose. So, he has to continue to fight even though every part of him was broken, bloodied, and bruised.

 

They don’t give him enough time to heal for his next fight. A05953234 feels fidgety as they bring him to the fighting area. He doesn’t think he will win this time. He barely won the last match and he does not want to lose ( _He does not want to go back into stasis_ ).

Once he gets into the room, A05953234 looks across the chamber (he really doesn't want to look at them).They no longer look like him (and he hopes he won’t end up like them). Their skin is an unsettling mix of machinery, that same strange black substance, and flesh. It somehow out grew A05953234, becoming the same size as most adults around him. The only thing that stayed the same was the dead look in their eyes.

The intercom crackles.

 

“Beginning first phase of testing with MT Omega Unit”

 

He waits.

 

“You may begin”

 

A05953234 steels himself and charges at his opponent.

They're big and slow, so he has to use his size and speed to his advantage. A05953234 quickly rushes at his side and kicks harshly at the back of the others knee, bringing them down to his level. He twist and roundhouse kicks the Omega unit in the face, sending it sprawling to the ground with a heavy thud.

With the unit on the ground, A05953234 tries to finish this fight quickly. Moving closer, he forms a fist and aims for the jugular, only for a hand to close vise tight on his wrist. With unnatural strength, the unit throws A05953234 with enough force to wring his arm out of its socket and he lands a few meters away.

Cradling his right arm, he looks up to watch the Omega unit rise to its full height, spine bending unnaturally, and begins walking steadily towards him, showing no signs of pain or damage.

A05953234 quickly rises too, ignoring the pain and gets in motion. He has to use his speed. He can’t let it catch him. He can’t lose this fight.

Determined, he tries the same tactic as last time. But the unit was prepared for it and lunged at him. It’s arm grabbed him at an unnatural angle and throws him against the wall.

He gasps as he’s thrown off his feet, but his head smacks hard against the hard metal of the wall causing black spots fill his vision.

Before he’s able to regain his bearing, a fist to the stomach knocks the air out of him and two hands gripped around his throat and lifts him against the wall; his feet kicking in the air. A05953234 struggles helplessly as his dizziness grew, as his lungs burn for air, but the unit shows no signs of stopping. Dead red eyes stare into terrified blue.

Panic floods through him. He couldn’t breath. He was going to die.  _He was going to die._ This was it - this was… The world around him was fading to-

 

“Enough”, the intercom crackled.

 

A05953234 falls to the ground clutching at his throat, gasping for breath; his stomach twists as he realized what happened.

He lost. He lost, he lost, he lost _he lost helosthelost._

He felt as if the other unit was still choking him. He couldn’t _breath_ . _He failed._

Panicked, scared, and hurt; A05953234 willfully succumbs to his injuries, but before he does, the last thing he hears is someone on the intercom saying:

 

“Testing of MT Omega Unit...Successful”

 

* * *

 

_“What do we do with it?”_

 

_“It’s just a weapon”, the cold voice said. “The only thing it’s valuable for is killing. It’s completely useless otherwise.”_

 

_“Continue to use it for testing. ”_

 

* * *

 

To his utmost relief, he isn’t put back into the stasis tank. Nor is fighting anymore units. Instead, he is taken to a sterile, white room with strange machines and a metal table with straps at each end.

After strapping him to the table and hooking him up to the machines, they bring in bags filled with black liquid. A05953234 is suddenly filled with a dread so powerful, it threatens to make him pass out. It looks like the same substance the other units have in them. He doesn’t want to end up like those units, but there is nothing he can do. _Maybe, it won’t be that bad._ He thinks to himself as they threaded a needle into his arm, preparing him for the transfusion.

A05953234 had been prepared for pain, he always was, but he wasn’t prepared for this. Intense fiery agony filled his small body. He couldn’t have stopped his screams if he tried. He wanted nothing more than to get away. For everything to stop, but he was still strapped to the table.

The people around him were doing nothing to lessen his pain. _He was dying. He was going to die._ Frantic beeping from the machines joined into the cacophony of his screams around him. He had thought that nothing could have been worse than the tank, but this- _this was_ \- Suddenly, the agonizing blaze inside him grew so bright, he could not hear sound from the machine turn into a flat line.

 

Then.

 

He got what he wanted.

 

The pain stopped.

 

And everything faded to black.

 

* * *

 

A05953234 was in an empty space.

No, empty was not the right word, but he couldn’t find the right word in his vocabulary at the moment. It was simply like this: A05953234 existed. The world around him did not.

He thinks he’s dead. It was the only option that made any sense.

He could not decide if this alarmed him or not.

 

_“Hello, there”_

 

A voice came out of the void ( _that’s a better word for this place_ ), but it wasn’t a voice. There was no sound here. He just understood what was being said.

This place was very confusing.

 

“ _You’ve got a little while before your body begins to function again, so I thought I’d drop by”_

 

Oh… So he wasn’t dead. The world made less sense, but the pain was gone so, maybe it was fine.

Although, it was weird not being able to see who was speaking to him, this voice was kind and warm. So unlike the ones he is accustomed to.

 

“ _I had some strong words with the Starscourge they put inside of you.”_ the voice continued. _“It will not kill you nor will it turn you into a daemon_ ”.

 

A05953234 doesn’t know what a daemon is, but he feels grateful that he isn’t one.

 

“ _I thought, perhaps, we might be able to help each other_ ”

 

The voice continues to talk and A05953234 listens.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that toke longer than I expected.
> 
> Next up: Sunshine child tries to help the totally non suspicious voice in his head.


	4. The Prompto Parable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A name is given and choices are made.

They let him recover for a few days after the transfusion. They put him in a room with nothing but a cot and a small bathroom. He was so weak, he could barely stand and he had to crawl over to the bathroom if he wanted to relieve himself.

It was the first time in his life that he had gone days without any discomfort or pain (his time in the tank does not count and he refuses to acknowledge it). His only company are the scientists who periodically come in and out of his small room and the kind voice in his head, the one who calls himself “Ardyn”.

He prefers Ardyn than the scientists, if he’s honest.

It was nice having someone to talk to. Ardyn was nice and he let him ask questions (Although, he doesn’t know what to ask). No one has ever treated A05953234 like this and it makes him feel warm inside.

Ardyn also asks questions. About the facility, the empire, and the cold, scary man. (Ardyn calls him a rat of a man, but A05953234 doesn’t understand. He’s seen rats, they are cute and small and fluffy. So very unlike that man. He says so to Ardyn, and he laughs and says that he makes a valid point.)

Unfortunately, there are some questions he doesn’t know the answer to, having never left the facility, his basic knowledge is just what he overhears from the people around him. It makes him feel bad to disappoint Ardyn. So, he tries to make more of an effort to listen in on conversations.

 

He doesn’t want Ardyn to stop talking to him.

 

Because talking to Ardyn was a great distraction from the scientists going in and out of his room, from the thoughts of future tests and pain and misery, and most importantly, from the red eyes that stare back at him whenever he sees his reflexion.

He tries to avoid his reflexion, it makes him uncomfortable to look like the units he fought. The scientists say it’s a side effect of the transfusion and they talk about doing more tests.

A05953234 stomach twists at that. The transfusion was the worst pain he had ever experienced. He’s scared it might get worse (or that they might turn him into those other units).

Ardyn says it won’t come to that. That if he’s patient, things will get better.

 

He really, _really_ wants to believe that.

 

* * *

 

He was laying on his cot, looking at the ceiling, when Ardyn’s voice chimes in his head.

 

“Say, while it is quite a name, A05953234 is rather too long and is almost impossible to pronounce correctly.” Ardyn says conversationally. “Perhaps, you can choose another name for yourself. One that is shorter and less dehumanising.”

 

Choose another name? No one told him he could do that.

A05953234 looked at his wrist, where the black marked marred his skin. Written on it was his name, A05953234, but there was also another string of numbers and letters. Could that be his other name?

 

“Is  N-iP01357 okay?” he asks uncertainly. He’s unsure what qualifies as a name and he has never made a big decision like this (or any decision in this matter).

 

“Ah...While it is a bit shorter, that is not a name” Ardyn replied.

 

“Oh...”. A05953234 says dejectedly.

 

“But, a good first try” Ardyn added, feeling the boy’s disappointment.

 

That made him feel a little better. So, with better spirits,  A05953234 tries to think of a new name. A name is a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, or any object of thought is designated, called, or known. According to Ardyn, N-iP01357 is not a name, and A05953234 isn’t suitable.

He could take a name from someone of the facility, but all of their names made him feel icky and uncomfortable. The only name he actually likes is Ardyn. But, it would be very confusing if he chose that name. At a total loss, he asks Ardyn for help.

 

“In need of a suggestion? Let me think...” He’s silent for a few moments before coming out with his answer. “How about...” and he hesitates. In all his conversations with Ardyn, he has never hesitated. He always exuded confidence and had a charisma that always amazes him.

 

“How about...” he starts again. “Prompto”

 

Prompto. He rolls that name around his head. He doesn’t reject it like the other names. In fact, he likes it, and not just because Ardyn suggested it. (Although, it’s a large factor)

 

“It means quickness” Ardyn says, interrupting his thoughts.

 

“I’m very quick”

 

“Then, it’s a name that suits you”

 

And with that, Prompto makes a decision. “Yes. I like it”. And he really does. He feels warm. He feels good. Two rare reactions that are becoming more common ever since he started talking to Ardyn.

 

“Prompto it is then”

 

And Prompto was too preoccupied with the joy of his new name to notice the odd lilt in his voice.

 

* * *

 

He’s on his cot when they finally come for him. He could now walk properly and it seems that is all they need to continue testing. They all but drag him out of the room and as soon as he steps foot in the hallway, the world stops.

There was no sound other than his own breathing and the guards who came to fetch him were upright and unmoving.

 

“A neat trick, isn’t it?” Ardyn’s voice chimes in in his head. “Unfortunately, as I have learned,  it is only useful if you have freedom of movement”

 

“Are you nearby?” Prompto asks, looking around for him; expecting Ardyn to be in the hallway. Although, he doesn’t even know what Ardyn looks like. He wonders what he looks like...

 

“Regrettably, no” he answered. “From your position, I am on the other side of the facility.”

 

“Oh...” He doesn’t know where that is. He’s never walked through the building without an escort.

 

“There’s no need to worry” he says “I will be your guide”

 

That makes him feel a lot better. He could do this with Ardyn guiding him. So, he waits for instructions.

 

“Continue down the hallway and make a left”

 

Prompto quickly follows his instructions and runs down the hallway. When he gets to the divided hallway, he makes a left.

 

“Your other left”

 

He turns around and goes left.

 

* * *

 

He follows Ardyn’s instructions, leading him deeper and deeper under the facility. The bar code on his wrist allowing him access to doors and elevators. While he’s running, he passes by some guards and scientists who are still frozen in time. He barely has time to gawk at them before Ardyn reminds him to get moving.

It’s when he arrives at a heavy metal door that Ardyn tells him that he made it. Prompto quickly scans the door for the lock and finds the scanner, similarly like the ones on all the other doors, and holds his wrist to it.

A red light flashes and words flash on the screen: ACCESS DENIED

 

“Oh dear. Looks like you're going to need to find an access card” Ardyn commented.

 

Disappointed but not surprised, Prompto sighed and looks around the deserted hallway. There wasn’t even any frozen people.

 

“Where should I look?” he asks.

 

“It would be both easier and faster to just take a card from someone. Anyone on this floor should have access”

 

Prompto didn’t like that. It made him feel uncomfortable just thinking about stealing something.

 

As if reading his thoughts, Ardyn interjects,”It should be fine as long as you don’t get caught”. Which...Actually makes a lot of sense for Prompto and makes him feel a bit better for doing this.

 

Picking a random direction, Prompto ran until he spotted someone. He recognizes this one, he’s always with the angry man, taking notes. Maybe he has access to the door? And Ardyn said it was okay to steal as long as he doesn’t get caught.

He creeps up behind him, and reaches for the key card attached to his belt. With a small tug, Prompto detaches the card from the belt and the world begins moving again.

Prompto feels his heart plummet to his stomach and his mind begins to race on how to take out his target before he notices him. But, before he can take out the scientists,  the world freezes again.

 

A pause.

 

“Well, that was surprising”

 

Prompto feels a beat of annoyance towards the voice.

 

“Apologies. I did not know that would happen” And to Ardyn’s credit, he does sound apologetic.  

 

Regaining his nerves, Prompto makes his way towards the door.

 

Except…

 

He’s unsure which direction he came from.

 

Prompto can feel Ardyn sigh in his mind.

 

“To your right”

 

And Prompto runs down the hallway and makes his way towards the door.

 

Again as before, the area is deserted and he puts the stolen key card under the scanner and hopes.

 

The light turns green and the door unlocks with a heavy hiss. It is a very heavy door, it takes all of his strength to move it and he’s out of breath when he’s able to move it enough to squeeze through.

 

The room looks like any other testing chambers, white walls and floors, except there was twice the amount of machines and instruments, and the once pristine white floor is stained black.

 

But, what ultimately drew his attention was the man strapped to the metal table in the middle of the room.

 

“Ardyn?” he calls out.

 

“He-”

 

“-re”. What started in his head, ended with a gruff voice, worn with disuse.

 

Without being prompted, Prompto scans the machinery, looking for the release on Ardyn’s metal bindings. It takes a few minutes and Ardyn was oddly silent. He presses the button to release him and with a metallic _shink,_ the bindings come undone.

 

With a groan, Ardyn begins to sit up on the table and Prompto gets his first full look at the man who gave him his name.

 

His first thought was that Ardyn is very tall, even taller than a lot of the people in this facility. His next thought was that he had very pretty hair. While it was short like his, it was a colour he’s never seen before. It was a nice colour. His attention is then drawn to the scars that litter his body, or to be more exact, the deep black scar on his chest. The only thing he’s wearing, is a pair of pants that once were pure white, but now is marred with black stains.

 

“Many thanks, Prompto” Ardyn said, his voice cracked, still unaccustomed to being used. “It has been rather a long time since I last stretched my legs”.

 

As if to prove his point, Ardyn tries to stand only to crumple to the ground. Alarmed, Prompto tries to help him up but the man smacks his hand away. Gripping hard on the metal table, Ardyn uses it as a crutch to stand to his full height and-

 

He is very tall.

 

Ardyn turns towards him, golden eyes blazing (he also has very pretty eyes). “I need you to do something for me. Can you do that?”

 

Prompto nods firmly.

 

One hand still gripping the table, the other is ruffling Prompto’s hair. It’s a very nice feeling. Prompto feels himself leaning into the touch.

 

“I need you to wait here for me while I do some business. Alright?”

 

The thought of separating from Ardyn after just meeting him makes him feel sad, but if Ardyn wants him to do this…

 

Again, Prompto nods firmly.

 

“Good boy.” With another ruffle of his hair, he leans down and takes the key card from Prompto’s hands. Then, he let’s go of his grip on the table and walks unsteadily towards the door. He also has scars on his back, like tally marks on a board. 

 

With ease, Ardyn opens the heavy steel door and looks back at him with a kind smile.

 

“I’ll be right back”

 

And he steps through and closes the door with a heavy thud, leaving Prompto all alone.

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take long before the alarm begins to ring, calling it’s highest ranking alert. Prompto knows that he has to go somewhere when it rings. That they expect him to be there when the alarm stops. And the punishment for defying orders…

 

He feels himself twitch and he looks at the door.

 

But, Ardyn said to stay here.

 

**But, he doesn’t want to hurt again.**

 

He said, he’d be right back.

 

 **_He doesn’t want to go back into the tank_ ** _._

 

Prompto has to make a decision.

 

_Stay or leave._

 

_Stay._

 

_“ It’s a name that suits you”_

 

_Or._

 

_Leave._

 

 _“_ _It’s just a weapon_ _”_

 

Prompto raises his hand and ruffles his hair, trying to mimic what Ardyn had done. No one has ever done that to him. No one has ever smiled at him either. No one has ever been kind to him. He can feel tears falling down his face and soft cries fills the room. It was nice. He doesn’t want it to stop.

 

So.

 

He makes the decision.

 

And stays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Ardyn learns how to drive and knowledge is gained. (Also he is very tired)
> 
> Also remember that Ardyn still has his issues and while that doesn't excuse his behavior he will get better and be a better parent for Prompto. (Although, it's a good thing the bar is at the earths core)


	5. The Longest Day Has It's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ardyn learns to drive, obtains a hat, gets some information, and sleeps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ardyn is not a healthy man. There will be some suicidal thoughts.

It takes Ardyn roughly an hour to fully clear out the facility, any who had tried to escape their fate were taken out by the daemons under his control. _Ah. Hubris._ They really should have seen this coming. Keeping monsters in cages. Any sane person would never have kept daemons near humans or even _experimented on them_ in the first place. But, alas, as he had learned, Verstael Besithia is not in any way a sane person.

 

**_Calling the kettle black, are we?_ **

 

**_As if you're completely sane._ **

 

Ardyn snorted inelegantly, “I’m not saying...” and trailed off, realizing that talking to yourself in a blood splattered room filled with corpses you just made, did not do him any favours. A heavy sigh left him and he ran his hands over his face, he was _very tired_.

For the past 2000, the first and only person he’d talk to was a child who, if these notes are to be believed, was made to be a ruthless weapon. A child who...Who he should probably fetch instead of going through these lab reports and data.

He had promised to return after all. Ardyn wasn’t a monster **_(Aren't You?)_ **. He wasn’t just going to leave the boy to the Empire’s mercy. He can feel the boy through the bond, he’s still in the room where he left him and really, they should best be on their way before “help” arrives.

Out of morbid curiosity and not wanting to be left in the dark ( _Ha._ ), Ardyn gathers all the research Besithia (Shame he isn't at the facility at this time) had on _Adagium_ . Who knows? Maybe, it will be useful. He then sets the paperwork aside in the Armiger, and begins to make his way back to his previous “ _quarters_ ”.

The hallways are a mess of sinew and gore as the daemons (and himself) had shown no mercy to the previous inhabitants. He wasn’t wearing any shoes, so there was no avoiding stepping in...the recently departed. He can’t seem to muster up the emotion nor the energy to care about that.

Although, he also isn’t wearing a shirt and he was covered in blood...

Perhaps, he should do a quick change of wardrobe before he goes back for the boy.

 

* * *

 

After that slight detour, Ardyn stands wearing an ill suited white shirt and a pair of (actually quite comfortable) stretchy black pants in front a familiar steel reinforced door. _Oh, how I don’t miss you._ He fishes out the access card and opens door. Prom- The boy ( _Don’t get attached._ ) hasn’t moved from where he left him and his eyes lights up when he sees him.

He inspects at the boy; he has short blond hair, an angelic face which would probably be peppered with freckles if he’d ever see the sun, and he has unusual piercing red eyes (apparently, a side effect of the blood transfusion). Not who you’d imagine as a “ _ruthless weapon of the empire_ ”. Although, looks can be deceiving. He also wore a grey bodysuit similar to... _What were they called? Empties? Well, doesn’t matter._ Similar to what the other experiments wore and adorn on his feet are simple black steel toed shoes, similar to the ones he's wearing right now.

 

“Well, then” Ardyn forces a smile and holds out his hand. “Shall we get moving?”

 

The boy’s face brightens even more and he swore he even heard a soft “yes” as he raced to grab his hand.

Child of alleged mass destruction in tow, Ardyn leads them through the maze of hallways (doing his best to avoid any dead bodies and daemons for the boy’s sake) and towards the closest exit. He can feel the curiosity and excitement coming off the boy as they drew near. Opening one last door, Ardyn let’s go of the boy’s hand and steps through the threshold and into the crisp snowy Niflheim night.

The sky is an inky black canvas spattered with stars in all directions. A complete contrast to the perfect white snow that surrounds him. Ardyn _hates_ it. He is so _sick_ of black and white. Why couldn’t it be any other colour? Apparently he’s the only one who thinks this, because the boy lets out a small gasp and looks around in wonder. He really has never been outside before.

He feels too hollow to care very much.

Ardyn turns away and scans the the courtyard, leaving the boy to his wonderments. The white stretches as far as he can see and towers over him from the snow crested mountains that surrounds the building. Across from him, he can see multiple metal machinery that could be vehicles and makes his way over to them.

The clicking and groaning sounds of daemons reminds him that they are not alone.

Ardyn turns back to the boy and calls out to him, “Stay close to me, Prompto”. While he can control the daemons actions and give them commands, he cannot control their destructive nature and he’s unsure if they’ll attack the boy if he strays too far.

He hears the crunching footfalls in the snow as the boy catches up to him and stops when he’s at his side. Ardyn pats the boy’s head idly as he looks at the vehicle. He tentatively opens the door and looks inside. He understands nothing about this.

Why does everything have to be so needlessly complicated? What was wrong with chocobos and a carriage?

He should have left someone alive.

 

“I don’t suppose you know how this works?” Ardyn asks jokingly.

 

To his credit, the boy takes his question seriously and hops into the front seat and inspects the vehicle thoroughly. His feet couldn’t reach the pedals on the floor and his head was barely above the wheel.

Ardyn was beginning to feel like this was all just a huge waste of time when the vehicle purrs to life. The look on the boy’s face was just begging for praise from him.

Huh.

 

* * *

 

After multiple attempts and a few cars later, Ardyn manages to get onto the road. The manual that Prompto found in the glove box was a great help. Giving him some information on how to use this thing. Ardyn kept his eyes on the road while the boy fiddles with the GPS (“It means: Global Positioning System”, Prompto reads from the book.)

Ardyn didn’t like that. He may not know too much about this era’s technology, but he feels like that is an excellent way to track them. Which means that they are going to need to ditch the car at some point.

He knows how this works. Ardyn had been evading Somnus’ men for years. This was nothing.

 

**_And yet, you walked right to him, arms spread open._ **

 

**_Maybe this time, you can provide them with the sword to run you through._ **

 

“Shut. Up.” He growls to himself through gritted teeth, his grip on the steering wheel doubling in force and he ignores the confused stare the boy throws his way from the passenger seat.

 

Instead, he drives, putting his full focus on the road and ignores his own darkening thoughts.

It’s only when he sees lights in the distance does Ardyn stop the car. It’s probably for the best they walk the rest of the way.

He explains this to the boy and they begin to make their way towards the grouping of buildings.

They make it halfway there before Ardyn notices the others shivering. The temperature was, no doubt, way below freezing and the boy was for sure feeling the cold. Especially since both his hands and head are unprotected against the freezing temperature. Oddly enough, he barely felt the cold or, to be more precise, he didn’t care. It’s not like he’s going to _freeze to death_.

But the boy can and Ardyn did not bring him with him just to die. So, he reaches into his Armiger and pulls out a thick woolen cloak, a gift from someone he healed, and drapes it over the boy. The boy stutters out a thank you and wraps it tight around himself.

Satisfied with that, they continue walking until they reach the buildings. There wasn’t much there. Just a small lot with cars, a store, and something called a “gas station”.

He should probably check out the store, see if it has anything that might be useful. But, before he does that…

 

He turns to address the boy. “You seemed to have better luck with with cars before. Why don’t you go procure us another one? I’ll be with you shortly”

 

The boy, still bundled in the woolen cloak, nods and races towards the other cars. With that taken care of, Ardyn walks into the brightly lit store. There was only one man in the store. Probably the owner of the establishment. He seemed to be in his older years, around 60 or so, his balding hair was hidden by an odd black hat, and he wore what was presumably something stylish for this era.

He also gave Ardyn the biggest stink-eye when he walked in.

Not that he blames him. Ardyn looks nothing like the inhabitants of Niflheim; with their pale skin and light hair. Combine that with Ardyn’s mix and match of ill fitting clothing and he’s probably the weirdest thing to walk into his store tonight (It’s also probably a good thing he took the time to wash off the blood too).

So, he ignores him and starts to browse the store. Like the location of the store, there is nothing of interest here; just food and toiletries.

Not that he has any money to buy these things.

It would be so easy to just grab the things he needs and put them in the Armiger. He won’t even have to stop time. But, he still has some integrity left. Which means he’s going to have to barter with the man. There are probably some things in the Armiger he can part with.

He makes his way to the counter, prepared to persuade a bargain when the owner cuts him off.

 

“I don’t deal with your kind” he spits at him. “Lucian scum”

.

.

.

 

A rise of emotion that feels alien inside the dull ocean of blankness that he’d allowed to hollow him out and live inside him for the past 2000 years.

He _feels._

He feels… annoyed.

This pathetic excuse of a man refuses service to him just because he looks Lucian.

Even after 2000 years, Somnus finds a way to fuck him over.

With that, his integrity dissipates and the world stops.

He was right. This newfound power is quite impressive once he regained freedom of movement.

It was so very tempting to just kill the man. To set him on fire and watch him scream in agony as he burns. But that would alert someone and he would leave a trail right to him. Instead, he takes a couple of water bottles and sandwiches and puts them in the Armiger. He also takes a package of something called “Red Twizzies”.

And because he can, he takes the man’s hat.

Ardyn walks out of the store and into cold night air. It had somehow gotten much colder in the time he was inside the store.

When he’s a couple of paces away from the store, he let’s the world exhale. Snow begins to fall gently from the sky as soon as time begins anew. Which was odd since the sky was cloudless minutes before.

He takes out a sandwich and walks towards the group of cars where the boy ran off to. Ardyn looks dubiously at the sandwich; it says on the packaging that it’s “tuna” but the colours are very different and it’s a bit concerning. He unwraps the plastic and takes a tentative bite- and immediately spits it out. The flavour was revolting and overpowered his tongue. Disgusted, he throws the sandwich away.

It’s when he makes it to the row of cars that the wind begins to pick up, pelting snow at him and causes ice to start forming around him. And when the figure of a woman appears in the distance, Ardyn realizes he probably can’t ignore this encounter.

Ardyn decides to initiate this encounter before she does, and saunters his way over to her. As he approaches, Ardyn is surprised that he recognizes the woman. Although, she is much older and too many years have past for her to be alive, but there is no mistaken her graceful face. It was Gentiana Lux Fleuret. Aera’s blind cousin, the one who was to be the next Oracle after her.

 

“Ardyn.” she says, her gentle voice somehow carries over the howling wind and snow.

 

“I would call you Gentiana, but I am unsure if that is truly you.” he says. The ice elemental magic that is gathering is not something a mere mortal can do.

 

“I am Gentiana. But I am also something more.” she says as calm and serene as she was as a child. “I have gone beyond my calling and became a messenger of the gods”.

 

“Congratulations. But that is not what I meant”

 

“I know that, but I come to you as Gentiana and nothing more” she gracefully responds.

 

Ardyn sighs. He has a feeling he’s not going to like this. Everything the gods have given him, have left him broken.

 

“And what is it that you want?” he asks.

 

“To give you a message.”

 

“I’d rather not hear it”

 

“Unfortunately, it is something you must hear” and she sounds genuinely mournful about it. “I come to you on my own accord to tell you this. Because I remember what you’ve done for the Fleurets, all those years ago. I tell you this because I do not want to leave you in the dark”

 

And she tells him. She tells him about a prophecy. About a chosen by the crystal **_(Not again)_ **. About how he cannot die by any hands but the King of Light. A king who is at this moment, no older than the boy waiting for him in the car.

He tries to feel something about this. _Anything_. But all he feels is that aching hollowness again. Even the petty annoyance that flared at the store owner was snuffed out by Gentiana’s words.

 

“Leave.”

 

“Ard-”

 

“I. SAID. LEAVE.” he roared.

 

Gentiana gives him one last unreadable look and leaves as suddenly as she came, taking the bitter cold and howling winds with her.

He feels nothing as he makes his way to the car the boy broke into and the hollowness digs even deeper into his bones as he drives off into the night.

 

* * *

 

Dawn starts approaching as he pulls into a “motel”, apparently a place where he can sleep.

And Ardyn is very, _very_ tired.

He parks the stolen car near the building, not caring to even attempt to hide it, and makes his way towards the man at the window. If the man refuses service to him, he might actually kill someone this time.

Instead of being prejudice against him, the man seems to welcome any potential patrons. When he gives Ardyn the price of the room, rather than giving him money (because he doesn’t have any), he gives him a handful of small gems and gold coins from the Armiger.

This seems to be more than enough for the man as he all but throws the key at him and personally leads Ardyn and the boy, who has been following silently and tiredly behind him, to their room.

He also gives them a tour of their room, not that Ardyn was listening to him. His full focus was solely on the bed in the small bedroom. Ardyn was about to throw the man out himself (and not out the door), when he began to make his leave, only to pause and look at him in the threshold.

 

“Hey man...Are you okay?” he asks.

 

There’s a violence of emotions inside of him. _No. Yes. Fuck this. This is stupid. Sure. Pointless. Everything is pointless. Nothing matters. Just fucking lie down. Just lie down and die. It’s alright not to feel okay, my son. Don’t let them catch you. This is not how the heir to the Caelum line should behave. I want to die. They’re all dead. Why can’t I die too? You can’t. Ardyn. Please. You have to live. No. Yes. Even if others forget your name, I will always remember._

 

“I’m quite fine.” he responds tersely. “Thank you for asking”

 

The man didn’t seemed convinced of his answer but left anyway, closing the door behind him; leaving him alone with the boy.

 

“Wake me when the chosen king arrives”. he says to him and makes his way to the bedroom.

 

Without getting undressed or changing clothes, Ardyn collapses on the bed and quickly succumbs to slumber. And when he dreams, he dreams of fields of flowers and of sunny lit ruins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Prompto waits for Ardyn to wake up.
> 
> List of Prompto's crimes:  
> 1\. Being too good for this world  
> 2\. Grand theft auto


End file.
